Paper roll products, such as toilet tissue rolls and paper towel rolls, typically include a paper web material that is wound around a central core. The core helps to support the paper web material and define the shape of the roll, as well as define a central opening for interaction with a support structure, such as a spindle, on a suitable dispensing apparatus.
In many paper roll products, the core is a one piece structure that extends the entire width of the roll product.
In some known paper roll products, the core is formed by core sections that are spaced apart from each other to form a gap therebetween so that the total length of the core sections is less than the width of the web material wound onto the core sections. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,437,388 and 3,438,589 to Jespersen. The provision of spaced core sections separated by a gap helps to reduce the amount of core stock material that is used, thereby reducing production costs. In some instances, such as in the aforementioned Jespersen patents, the spaced core sections also function to indicate to a user the depletion of the web material from the roll.
There is a continuing need for paper roll products with spaced core sections, and for processes and apparatus used in the production of such paper roll products.